Baroque Instrumental Music
This is the first time that
we see instrumental music
sharing the same stature as
vocal music.
For the first time, there
was a clear separation of
Vocal and Instrumental
music
Baroque Instrumental Practice
There were no ‘classics’, so contemporary
composers were very prolific
Modulations and chromatic harmonies and
melodies.
Virtuosity (music that shows off the
technical skills of the performer)
Baroque Instrumental Evolution
Early Baroque Instrumental music uplifted
musical line rather than blend. Late
Baroque music will focus more on the idea
of blend and refined orchestration.
Keyboard Music
Equal tempered
tuning
Keyboard Instruments
Three main instruments
Organ: sacred venues and some home chapels
• Tracker Action
• Great, positive, and portative organ
Harpsichord: basso continuo for orchestra and
dance music. Solo instrument. Strings plucked
by a Plectrum.
Clavichord: strings struck by hammers made
originally from bone. Precursor to the piano.
Positive organ
Portative organ
Baroque Organs
Harpsichord
Harpsichord, ca. 1675
Made by Michele Todini
Rome, Italy
Clavichord
The keyboard, allowed composers to think
vertically (tonal system)
rather than
horizontally (modal system)
more than one note could be played at a time.
Types of Instrumental Music
Improvisatory style
Toccata
Prelude
Fantasia
Fugal style
Ricercare
Fantasia
Capriccio
Fugue
Existing melody
Chorale prelude
Theme & Variations
Dances
Toccata
From Italian verb toccare
(to touch)
A work with very fast
monophonic melodies
with chromatic harmonies;
Free, irregular metres and
rhythms;
Often improvised on the
organ
The Chorale Prelude
Originally, an
introduction to a
hymn (chorale); Bach
was the preeminent
composer of Chorale
Preludes
Later written down as
a composition (a
single variation on a
chorale)
Dietrich Buxtehude 1637-1707
The Baroque Suite
Instrumental dance music from the
Renaissance period now refined in a new
style of sound and compositional technique.
Pastiche of different international styles of
dance forms.
First function was dancing at social
functions.
Other functions: dinner music.
Order of the Dance Suite
Overture
(Optional)
Allemande Germany 4/4 time
Courante French
3/4 time
Sarabande Spain
3/4 time
Other Dances (Optional)
Minuet
Gavotte
Bourree
Gigue
England
6/8 time
Moderate
Moderate
Slow
Fast
Types of Dances
Allemande
Courante
Jig (Gigue)
Sarabande
Minuet
Gavotte
Bourree’
Passepied
German
French
English/French
Spanish
Italian peasant
French pastoral
French lively
Fast French
minuet
Quadruple
Triple
6/8 or 6/4
Triple
Triple
Duple peasant
Duple peasant
Triple peasant
Jacques Champion
Chambonnieres (1601-1672)
the founder of the
French
harspichord
school
not the first, but
the first with
“celebrity”
Jacques Champion de
Chambonnières (c.1601-1672)
influenced Couperin and Rameau
Chambonnieres, D’Anglebert, and de
la Guerre were important early
clavecinists
“clavecin” is French for
“harpsichord”
Jean Henry D’Anglebert
(1629-1691)
Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre
(1666-1729)
François Couperin 1668-1733
He was known as
Couperin le Grand"
(Couperin the Great)
to distinguish him
from the other
members of his
musically talented
family.
L’art de
toucher
le clavecin
Innovations
Instrument building families
Stradivarius, Guarneri, and Amati
Strings
Cat gut
Slightly different playing technique….bowing
Woodwinds: mellow sound as opposed to a
more brassy sound in modern times.
Innovations
Brass
Originally a military instrument for
signals
Without valves
Key changes made by inserting
longer or shorter crooks in the horn.
The Sonata
Evolved from the Renaissance
canzona, which had several contrasting
sections
Early in the 17th century, “sonata”
referred to any piece for instruments
Later, “sonata” meant a piece for 1 or 2
melody instruments with basso
continuo
The Sonata
Chamber Sonata: Sonata da Camera
A group of dances.
Number of movements vary
Church Sonata: Sonata da Chiesa
Serious collection of pieces
Containing polyphonic/contrapuntal
texture.
Often 4 movements SFSF
The Baroque Sonata Form
Four Movements
SLOW
FAST
SLOW
FAST
The Sonata
Trio Sonata: sonata for any
combination of two instruments and
basso continuo. (which means 4
players)
Archangelo Corelli (1653-1713)
Studied in Bolognacenter of violin
playing in Northern
Italy.
Worked in Rome
under the patronage
of several wealthy
benefactors.
The Concerto
A three movement piece (FSF) music that is
created from two masses or bodies of
sound.
Concertare – to contend with or to
compete with.
The Two Masses of Sound
Concertino: small group.
Tutti or ripieno: large group (orchestra)
tutti (all) ripieno (full)
Three types of concerto
Solo concerto: A concerto featuring a
soloist contending with an orchestra.
Concerto Grosso: A concerto featuring a
small group contending with a larger
group.
Concerto ripieno: A concerto in which
all take part; no long solos
Concerto
Several contrasting movements
1st movement uses ritornello form
Contrast between performing groups is VIMP
Orchestra (aka tutti)
15-25 strings
+ harpsichord
louder dynamics
simpler music
Soloist(s)
1 to 5 players
may feature
woodwinds, brass
softer dynamics
technical, virtuosic
Movement 1
Ritornello form
fast, energetic, ritornello form
a way of arranging musical
ideas (melodies?) in a piece
Ritornello Form
Contrast between sections is VIMP
Ritornello provides unity “musical glue”
Ritornello sections
played by tutti
recurring theme or
part of it
U
U
R1
C
S1
C
R2
C
C
S2
Solo sections
played by soloist(s)
new material
U
U
C
R3
C
C
S3
C
R4
C
C
S4
etc
RX